Discussions focused on the disputed maritime border zone with Israel that comprises 870 kilometers of water off Lebanon’s southern coast, a statement released by Berri’s media office said.

The meeting with Berri was held in presence of U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale and Berri’s political adviser Ali Hamdan.

Berri has repeatedly accused Israel of planning to build an oil platform close to Lebanon’s official territorial waters, warning that it is capable of siphoning off a part of Lebanon’s potential gas reserves horizontally, which could trigger a war between the two countries.

“This is a continuous relationship that we should fortify, in particular on the level of energy and economic development to serve Lebanon’s interests,” Hochstein told reporters after talks with Bassil.

“We will continue to work together in the near future and exchange ideas to achieve progress in the energy sector and create new jobs,” he added.